Disconnecting DeLonghi Super Penguino Portable Split Air Conditioner Units

[dingo_moon]

I bought a Delonghi Super Penguino split system portable air conditioner today. It has a separate unit that can go outside to keep noise levels down. The seller had not disconnected the two units previously & tried to disconnect the two units for me. We were following the instruction manual to do this. However when we undid one of the hoses slightly, we heard a sound like air or gas expelling from the connection.

We were concerned that we might be letting the air-conditiner gases out of the air conditoner, so didn't go any further in disconnecting the two units. The seller had just had the unit working to show me, so it may just have been air expelling from the hoses. However we didn't want to risk losing the gas from the unit. 

If anyone is gfamiliar with these units & has dusconnected the exterior unit I would appreciate hearing from you about how it is done & what to expect. I need to diconnect the two units as we have bars on our windows, so can't get the exterior unit through these to place it outside.

Cheers Jem

[cq_tech · Accepted solution]

Does the instruction manual show any valves which seal the gas in the system? If so, when these are closed, you will still lose a little bit of refrigerant when you remove the hoses, but only for a few seconds while the hose itself depressurises. Most of the gas will remain sealed in the main system. Most split systems have valves which seal the unit but you still can't avoid losing some refrigerant when you remove the hoses and if you need to reconnect them you still need a tech to top-up the system and remove any airlocks or bubbles.

If you disconnect the hoses with the valves open, you will allow the R-12 refrigerant to escape into the atmosphere. If it has no valves, you generally need to have an air-con installer/tech come and evacuate the system before dismantling it, as the gas they remove is saved in a collector rather than allowed to escape (there are big fines if you let this happen). Essentially, if the manual is inadequate and you're not sure what you're doing, get an expert in to guide you. It will be money well spent.

[dingo_moon]

HI, thanks so much for taking the time to get back to me about this. The manual that came with the air-con was definitely inadequate. I downloaded an English manual last night for the air con, which gives your advice - that only a technician should undo the hoses. I doubt that much gas was lost, as there was only a very slight hiss & we closed the bolt again straight away. I think it'll be easier to cut our window bars & weld them back on to pass the unit outside, as at least we know how to do that! Many thanks for your advice, Cheers Jem

[cq_tech]

You're welcome, Jem. I'm just sorry that the news isn't better, but before you start cutting your security bars, how do you intend closing the window with hoses running through it? Splits system generally connect through the walls, and for that you'll definitely need a tech to come and do it properly. Just have a good think about what you're doing before you start cutting anything unnecessarily. And good luck. 🙂